Makerspace / Open Hours Volunteer & Mentor

Monumental Impact is a 501(c)(3) Colorado nonprofit serving high school students through adults as a community makerspace. Also known as MITEE—Monumental Impact for Technology, Engineering and Entrepreneurship—we connect youth and community members with career pathways in technology, engineering, and entrepreneurship. Through programs, equipment, mentorship, workspace, and real-world experiences, we empower people to explore, create, and compete.

About the Role

Monumental Impact is looking for Makerspace / Open Hours Volunteers & Mentors to help community members with projects, support the use of our makerspace equipment, share technical or professional expertise, and help us expand the hours our makerspace is available to members. You don't need to know every piece of equipment before getting involved. Volunteers can shadow experienced team members, learn additional equipment, and gradually take on more responsibility during Open Hours.

Responsibilities

Depending on your experience, interests, and availability, you may help with:

• Open Hours
  • Welcome members and help create a productive, collaborative makerspace environment.
  • Help members identify equipment, training, mentors, or other resources they need for their projects.
  • Assist members who need help getting started or troubleshooting a project.
  • Support the safe and appropriate use of the makerspace.
  • Help open, monitor, and close the space during scheduled Open Hours.
  • Work alongside another adult volunteer to help us maintain—and potentially expand—our Open Hours.
• Equipment & Makerspace Support
  • Help members use equipment for which you have appropriate knowledge and experience.
  • Shadow experienced volunteers to learn additional equipment.
  • Assist with equipment setup, organization, basic maintenance, and troubleshooting.
  • Help identify equipment issues or needs that should be addressed by the Makerspace Services Team.
  • Contribute to equipment instructions, training materials, procedures, and other documentation.
  • Help keep tools, equipment, and work areas organized and ready for community use.

Equipment and capabilities within our makerspace include areas such as 3D printing, laser cutting and engraving, CNC, 3D scanning, electronics and soldering, CAD/design tools, and other fabrication technologies.

• Projects & Mentoring
  • Help members think through project ideas, designs, materials, and next steps.
  • Provide guidance without simply doing the project for someone.
  • Help members troubleshoot when a design or build doesn't work as expected.
  • Share technical, professional, or industry experience.
  • Mentor high school and college interns working on projects within our Career Readiness Program.
  • Support entrepreneurship, competitive robotics, member projects, or community projects based on your interests and experience.
  • Connect members with another mentor or resource when a project is outside your expertise.
• Help Us Expand Open Hours

  One of our priorities is increasing the amount of time our makerspace is available to community members that need mentoring and support. Our policy is to have two adults present whenever the makerspace is open. Ideally, those individuals bring complementary experience—such as knowledge of makerspace equipment combined with familiarity with our programs, projects, or community.

Qualifications

This opportunity could be a good fit if you:

• Enjoy making, engineering, technology, design, fabrication, or fixing things.
• Enjoy helping other people learn and solve problems.
• Are patient when someone is learning something new.
• Are willing to share what you know while continuing to learn yourself.
• Can encourage someone through a project rather than taking over and doing it for them.
• Value safe and responsible equipment use.
• Are dependable when committing to scheduled Open Hours.
• Are comfortable interacting with high school students, college students, adults, and seniors.
• Enjoy being part of a community where people bring different skills and experience to the table.

Experience in engineering, manufacturing, fabrication, CAD, 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC, electronics, robotics, software, product development, skilled trades, technical education, or entrepreneurship is especially helpful. Professional credentials aren't required. Practical experience, hobbies, retired-industry experience, and a willingness to teach and learn can be equally valuable.

Benefits

• Gain access to a community of makers, engineers, entrepreneurs, students, and other professionals.
• Learn additional makerspace equipment and technologies.
• Put professional, technical, or hobby experience to use helping others.
• Mentor students, interns, and community members.
• Participate in interesting projects outside your normal work or professional specialty.
• Develop teaching, mentoring, and leadership experience.
• Help strengthen and expand a community makerspace in the Tri-Lakes area.
• Potentially take greater responsibility for Open Hours, equipment, training, projects, or Makerspace Services as your involvement grows.

Schedule

We're flexible, but volunteers who want to support Open Hours should be able to make a reliable recurring commitment for 3 hours a week, even if that's only one particular shift or a few hours periodically. Other mentors may participate more flexibly based on projects, programs, or when their particular expertise is needed.

About Us

Monumental Impact is a nonprofit community makerspace located in Palmer Lake in the Tri-Lakes area, north of Colorado Springs. Our community brings together high school students, college students, adults, and seniors through hands-on opportunities involving technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, career readiness, competitive robotics, projects, mentorship, and making.